I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 785: Gentlemen and villains are each useful

"Hey, General, please spare my life!"

"I know I was wrong, little one!"

"I will work hard to atone for my sins!"

"Please be magnanimous and spare my life!"

Outside the city of Jiangxian, Cheng Zhong no longer cared about his manners. He banged his head loudly and was extremely frightened.

Of course he knew his own sins, which made him even more afraid.

Cheng Zhong could never have imagined that the great general even knew such a small thing as his. How could he not be afraid?
Now, Cheng Zhong no longer has any idea of ​​making a fortune through speculation, he just wants to escape death.

Seeing him like this, Su Yao, knowing that the time had come, winked at his followers, and someone immediately came forward to play the good guy and plead for Cheng Zhong:

"General, although Cheng Zhong made mistakes, he was able to turn back and open the city to surrender, which can be considered a contribution to the court."

Hou Cheng stepped forward, cupped his hands and said:
"Now is the time to use people. It would be a pity to kill him."

"In that case, why don't you give him a chance to redeem himself?"

Hearing this, Su Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Cheng Zhong, as if he was weighing something.

Seeing this, Cheng Zhong felt a glimmer of hope and kowtowed quickly:
"General, I am willing to sacrifice my life for the court and for you, and make meritorious contributions despite my crimes. Please give me a chance!"

"Okay, then I'll give you a chance."

Su Yao nodded slightly and said:

"Do you know how many soldiers are still in the Baibo bandit's lair? How much food and grass are stored? You Baibo bandits may have colluded with the Hedong family. Please tell me one by one."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhong secretly rejoiced and quickly told Su Yao all the information he knew.

According to him, after a series of defeats, Guo Tai did not dare to be an enemy of Su Yao anymore. He gathered his troops in the valley and retreated back to Baibo Valley with the last 20,000 Baibo descendants who were loyal to him.

Baibo Valley is where Guo Tai started his career. Not only does it have more than ten small forts in strategic locations to block the main roads, but its old nest in the valley, Baibo Fort, also stores a large amount of supplies, food, and gold, silver, and jewelry that they looted.

As for Guo Tai's contacts with those aristocratic families, he was very cautious. Not only did he handle the affairs with those wealthy families personally, he also set up a secret room in the fortress to keep the letters and account books of his exchanges with those big families and princes.

After listening to Cheng Zhong's report, Su Yao nodded slightly, and a hint of satisfaction flashed under his cold expression.

Obviously, the information provided by Cheng Zhong was very useful for his next actions.

Almost in an instant, the fog of war in Baibo Valley on Su Yao's system map was dispelled, and the main mission objectives and weak defense points were clearly visible.

Not only could this help him in his subsequent raids, but more importantly, it provided him with strong evidence of the crimes of those noble families.

It has to be said that those aristocratic families who have been able to occupy Hedong for hundreds of years have quite some means.

They have deep roots, many students and former officials, and even use people from the underworld. They rarely show up in person and will not easily leave any handles.

Especially after they realized that they had become the target of the general, they became more cautious in their actions.

Before, whether it was from Hu Cai's camp or the letters they found during the ambush and search in Anyi City, most of them were from students or poor families, and it was difficult to directly use them as evidence to convict the top wealthy families.

And now, from Cheng Zhong's mouth, Su Yao finally got a strong clue.

Letters can be delivered by others, but economic transactions cannot be easily delegated to others.

The collusion between those aristocratic families and the Baibo bandits could not be just a verbal agreement; there must be substantial exchange of interests.

These accounts and tokens of trust are the ironclad evidence of their collusion.

Su Yao pinched his chin, locked onto the latest mission target, and then turned his gaze to the kneeling Cheng Zhong:
"Although the information you provided has yet to be verified, it is still useful."

Cheng Zhong was delighted when he heard this, and was about to say something flattering when he heard Su Yao say "but!"

"Killing officials and rebelling is a crime that will wipe out the entire family. If you want to be exempted from punishment based on this little merit, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."

"This this"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhong's face turned pale instantly, and the hope in his heart seemed to be extinguished like a basin of cold water.

He widened his eyes, looked at Su Yao in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice:

"General, didn't you say you would give me a chance to redeem myself? I have told you everything I know, you can't go back on your word!"

"What do you mean by going back on your word?"

Su Yao sneered, staring at Cheng Zhong with eyes as sharp as a knife:

"I always keep my word, but your crime is so serious that you can escape death just by talking. How can I explain to the officials and people who were killed by you?"

Cheng Zhong felt cold in his heart. He knew that Su Yao was going to use him as an example to warn others. He kowtowed and begged with tears in his eyes: "General, I know I was wrong. I am willing to work like a slave for you. Please show me mercy!" Su Yao shook his head slightly and said in a cold tone:

"The crime you committed cannot be offset by simply admitting your mistakes."

"However, this general can give you one last chance. As long as you can do well, this general will not only consider sparing your life, but it is not impossible for you to be reused."

Cheng Zhong's eyes widened when he heard that. His mood had never been like such a roller coaster as it was today, so high and low it was horrible.

At that moment, he didn't bother to listen to what Su Yao wanted him to do. He kowtowed and agreed quickly.

"Don't worry."

Su Yao said slowly:
"Do you know about the reforms I implemented after coming to Hedong, especially the land reform?"

Cheng Zhong was stunned by Su Yao's words, but he quickly came to his senses.

Indeed, Su Yao's land reform plan caused a sensation in Hedong. Even though he was in a different camp, he had heard of it a long time ago.

Coincidentally, he was born into a local powerful family in Jiangxian County, and after accepting Mrs. Guo's appointment, he became the only "local tyrant" in Jiangxian County.

By utilizing the power of the Baibo Army, driving out local powerful families and annexing land, in just a few years, the Cheng family took over nearly 70% of the land in Jiangxian.

Now after hearing Su Yao's words, his face turned pale. He knew what Su Yao meant.

Isn't this clearly telling him that if he wants to live, he must first offer his soil.

If it were someone else, they might feel a little entangled and reluctant to part with those material possessions.

But Cheng Zhong, as a powerful man who had made his fortune from scratch in troubled times, knew very well that in troubled times, the strong were respected. Without life, no matter how much land and wealth he had, they would be nothing but illusions and meaningless.

So, almost without hesitation, he expressed his willingness to donate all the land to Su Yao and fully support the general's reforms in order to atone for his sins and beg for mercy.

"I like smart people."

Su Yao nodded in satisfaction at his statement:
"Someone will supervise you in the transfer of property rights. Once everything is completed smoothly, you will go to Wei Bo and assist him in carrying out the land survey and population census."

"Wei Boju is an upright man, and he comes from a local family. He can't let go of some things. I hope you can learn from him and make up for his shortcomings in the future to carry out the land reform in Hedong County. Do you understand what I mean?"

Cheng Zhong was stunned for a moment, then he immediately realized that the general was planning to use him as a cruel official.

This is also natural.

Any reform will inevitably harm the interests of some people.

As for the literati and advisers under Su Yao, except for a few like Jia Xu, they are all upright gentlemen and famous literati. They have close relations with aristocratic families and upright people, and their interests are deeply intertwined with each other.

There is naturally no problem for these people to make suggestions or do their job properly, but once it comes to major reforms that touch the interests of aristocratic families and literati, they have many visibly numerous concerns and progress is slow.

Therefore, Su Yao has actually always been considering promoting some "vanguards" who have nothing to do with those aristocratic families, and encourage them to be brave enough to take on responsibilities and act drastically.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the product of Su Yao's idea.

However, Wang Ling lacks experience after all. Although his loyalty is commendable, he still has the naivety of a teenager. He is still cautious about many things and attaches great importance to his reputation.

But Cheng Zhong was different. His background and experience made him a perfect candidate for a cruel official.

Cheng Zhong lowered his head, clenched his fists, and his emotions were complicated and difficult to understand.

On the one hand, he knew that after Su Yao said this, if he just nodded, his life would be completely saved, and he would even be entrusted with an important task and participate in the land reform, a major event that concerned the future of Hedong. This would undoubtedly be his chance to turn things around.

But on the other hand, he is more aware of what kind of infamy he will bear.

As a former criminal, he now has to implement policies that offend the powerful families. He will become the target of public criticism and may face life-threatening danger. Even worse, the worst outcome is that he will be ruthlessly abandoned after he finishes the dirty work.
But even so, Cheng Zhong did not hesitate at all. He knew that this was his only chance and he had to give it a try.

So, he nodded heavily and said in a deep voice: "General, rest assured, I will do my best to assist Mr. Wei in completing the land reform and will never let you down."

Seeing this, Su Yao nodded with satisfaction, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes. He knew very well that although Cheng Zhong was a villain, he could play a significant role at this critical moment.

"Okay, then go ahead and do it." Su Yao waved his hand, signaling Cheng Zhong to leave. "But you have to remember that I gave you your life. If you dare to have second thoughts, I can take your life at any time."

Cheng Zhong trembled all over and kowtowed quickly, saying, "General, rest assured, I will never have second thoughts and will be loyal and serve you."

After saying that, Cheng Zhong got up and left in a hurry, and began to deal with the land handover. He knew that whether he could survive depended on his performance next.

After solving this problem, Su Yao did not stay in Jiangxian County for too long. After carrying out the final replenishment and assigning some soldiers to garrison the county town to assist in the handover, he immediately sent troops to launch a surprise attack, aiming at Baibo Valley.

He used the map unlocked by Cheng Zhong to raid and capture three key forts in one night, opened the passage, and brought the army to the gate of the Baibo bandits' lair at lightning speed.

"Guo Tai, little kid, come out!"

"Su Yao is here, is there anyone who dares to fight me?"

(End of this chapter)